A Token of Gratitude
by vicvic221
Summary: Just a sneak preview at the sequel to my current fan fiction project, Fire & Rain. This is a token of my gratitude for all the reviews and readers I've had over the last several months. I appreciate it a lot and hope you all enjoy this little way I feel I can say thanks. More details (name, summary) to come post-Fire & Rain.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything contained within this story but my own characters. All others are licensed to Marvel and their respective creators; there is no copyright infringement intended.

* * *

_**A/N (PLEASE READ ME):**__ This is the long promised preview of a future chapter. If you've read my profile over the last several weeks since I last updated the information, I made a little gaffe and mentioned that I decided to write a sequel to Fire and Rain. The last several weeks consist of me doing heaps of research into names, lore, stories, and creating a substantive plot - all of which is this chapter, which is the first chapter of the sequel. I know some of you were really hoping for the love scene, but I hope this will suffice instead._

_So yeah, here is the first chapter of an as of yet untitled sequel._

* * *

**Kemet**

His bare feet were light upon the stone floor as he sprinted ahead. Clutching his spear in hand, he continued on, his heart feathering out wild beats as he continued to panic. There would be no reconciling this mistake, what would be seen as _his _mistake, to his gods. For millennia, he had stood guard and watched over their security, over the security of this universe, and now he had watched as a terror unlike any other was released into worlds beyond his grasp.

He was but a lowly palace guard and his punishment for allowing a prisoner to escape would be steep. If he were to hide the revelation from them, however, his punishment would be far graver. They would know. They _always_ knew.

He turned a corner, his breathing now loud, laboured, and he continued his sprint through the ornate halls of the palace towards the banquet that he knew to be just ahead. The burn marks that pocked his bare chest beneath his neckpiece were uncomfortable and he was certain that the scratch marks that stretched across his abdomen were still glistening with fresh blood.

He continued on, racing towards the large doors at the end of the golden hallway, barely taking the time to admire their ornate carvings - each bore carvings of branches and leaves - as he might normally. He felt no sense of awe on this day, only a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and a sense of fear that burned within him and consumed every fibre of his being.

He reached the doors and shoved them open, nearly tripping over his own feet, and stood in the doorway of the banquet hall, his chest heaving as the room grew silent, staring at the lone guard. His eyes quickly roved over the sea of faces, barely taking in one before he passed to the next, until he finally caught sight of the god that he sought in all of the madness. He staggered forward, down the marble stairs and towards the table, and watched as Amun stood, growing tall before him. His long leathers were dyed a rich blue hue, his dark hair hung around his face and to his shoulders, and his sharp, hollowed features created a striking face that left Penamun in awe and fear simultaneously.

He quickly dropped to one knee as he approached Amun's table, bowing his head, and waited in silence for the command to rise to his feet and to address the gods. After what felt like an eternity, Amun spoke in a voice that was like silk.

"Rise, Penamun, you are among friends today." Penamun stood, lifting his head to stare at the god who was observing him with a curious gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed. "State your business to our court."

Penamun swallowed, then licked his lips nervously, surprised by how dry they suddenly felt. He hesitated, searching for the words, and glanced along the table at the other gods who flanked Amun. He felt foolish, ashamed. He had failed at his duty, he would be severely punished for this...

"My lord," he bowed his head, his voice quiet. He cleared his throat, struggling with himself, "My lord, there has been an accident in the prison. Several prisoners have been released, however we captured all but one."

Amun's brow furrowed, but then he laughed, the other gods joining in with him. He lifted his chalice to Penamun, smiling, "Penamun, you are a steadfast and noble guard. One of Kemet's finest. As surely as Ra raises the sun into our sky, you have come to regale us all with the news that you are in the midst of tracking down the final offender of this escape, have you now?"

Penamun stammered objections lamely, his whole body trembling now. Amun ignored his protests, instead gesturing to an empty place at the table, "Heroism such as yours is worth celebrating, Penamun. Come, sit and drink with us. The prison shall be attended to."

"No, my lord." Penamun shook his head, a fresh wave of nausea unsettling his stomach, "We are unable to retrieve our final prisoner and thus I am here to beg for your leniency. He was far too strong for our force to handle and he has escaped with the intent of traveling to other realms."

Amun's face grew serious and the table fell silent suddenly, the entire hall still.

"What prisoner is this?" Amun demanded, his voice no longer silky but instead commanding and powerful. "What prisoner has escaped the finest of Kemet's guards?"

Penamun hung his head, "My lord..."

"Do not hide your head in shame from your lord," Amun hissed at him. "What prisoner has escaped while under your watch, Penamun?"

Penamun lifted his head, forcing himself to remain steady upon his feet as he choked out the words.

"My lord, it was Am-heh."

There was an uproar, the gods immediately breaking into shouts and getting to their feet, condemning the guard for his failure as Amun stared at him with wide eyes, his face grim. They continued on, proposing various ways to retrieve the demon, if it should simply be allowed free into the realm of its choice, and who might be worthy of leaving the realm to find and return Am-heh to his cell in the depths of Kemet.

Penamun, meanwhile, was quietly wishing that Osiris might simply strike him dead on the spot for this rather than allow him to continue to bear this shame. It hadn't even been his fault, really... But, instead, the tall, pale god sat at the far end of the table, his face severe, his brow pinched together, and did not speak. He rarely spoke, Penamun had noticed over the years, and when he did, it was far too eerie for the guard's liking.

"Enough!" Amun lifted one hand as he barked his order and the other gods immediately fell silent, lowering themselves back into their seats as they halted in their quarrelling. Amun swept his gaze across the hall before looking back to Penamun, his jaw clenched. "You have released Am-heh?"

"There was an accident, my lord. We do not know what happened, but several prisoners including Am-heh escaped today, we are still attempting to find the cause."

"You needn't look any further," another voice sneered from a different side of the hall and Penamun's heart stilled in his chest. He knew that voice and it was never any good to hear that voice. It was Atum. "Am-heh is far craftier than you and your fellows care to give him credit for. Should he have escaped, it was by his own doing."

Penamun nodded, "I understand, my lord."

Amun looked towards where Atum sat, "Is there a way to return this hellhound to its holding cell or has hope been lost?"

"Perhaps," Atum's voice sounded closer now and Penamun's stomach dropped even further as he realised that the god was approaching him where he stood. "I would require a vessel, however."

"Surely you cannot be serious," Osiris hissed, leaning forward at the table. Penamun could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he continued on, his voice cold, "You mean to leave our kingdom to retrieve it yourself? Send this peasant and any others who were foolish enough to release it into distant worlds!" He motioned towards Penamun, his face twisting as his spit his words at Atum.

"No, father," Horus shook his head at Osiris, "we must send our bravest warriors to retrieve the demon from this world. Simple guards are not enough. My men and I shall set out at dawn and we shall return within the fortnight with our kill."

"And your men have been bested by me several times!" Anat snapped, swishing her hair over her shoulder as she leered at the God of War. "Should you bring anyone at all, Horus, it might be me!"

Atum rested a hand upon Penamun's shoulder, his grip tightening on the guard as he came to a halt beside the man. "You mustn't be like this, my children," he chuckled, looking around the room, his dark eyes glinting. "I shall return Am-het to his cell myself and I shall prevent the massacre of millions in the process. Had any of you enough sense, you might realise that I alone am capable of controlling the beast."

Penamun closed his eyes, feeling the sweat that dotted his brow as it began to grow heavier. He was wracked with fear now, terrified of what Atum intended to do with him.

"Are you certain?" Amun asked, frowning at him.

"As certain as the sun shall rise," Atum replied. "Allow me the privilege of six days to find a vessel upon the world that he has sought out and I shall embark upon the seventh."

Amun sighed deeply, but then nodded, conceding to Atum. "Very well, you have your six days to find the world that Am-het has sought out as well as a vessel. Shall we prepare the necessary sacrifices for the ritual?"

Atum's voice had a smile in it, "That won't be necessary," he murmured. He looked towards Penamun and then gripped him by the back of the neck, his fingers digging into the guard's skin roughly as the man was wrenched backwards so that he looked towards the clear ceiling and beyond that, the pink sky. The god leaned close, hissing into Penamun's ear, "I have already found a fitting sacrifice."

* * *

"We will have to alert the other realms," Atum murmured as he joined Amun upon the balcony of the palace later that evening.

"I have sent messengers to both Olympus and Asgard," Amun replied, continuing to stare out at the dark night sky. "The others shall leave at dawn."

Clasping his hands behind his back, Atum nodded and peered up at the stars that dotted the night. "You have made certain not to alert the people, I see."

Amun paused, glancing instead at the city before himself which glinted with bright lights and was alive with the sound of music and festivities. "They have nothing to fear from this," he shook his head. "War will not be wrought upon the people of Kemet as it was upon Earth. Kemet shall remain as it is; we are prosperous and happy, even you know this."

"You must forgive me," Atum said, pursing his lips, "I merely rue the day that an accident such as Am-heh escapes into the realm of our allies. On that day, Kemet shall no longer be prosperous. We shall be at war with gods as powerful as ourselves and it is very well possible that we shall lose if we are not prepared."

Amun laughed, clapping the other god upon the back, "You are beginning to sound like Horus, old friend. All this talk of war is senseless. No, Asgard and Olympus will agree to remain uninvolved in what transpires with Am-heh. The others shall follow in their wake."

"Are you certain of that?" Atum asked, grimacing.

"As certain as the sun shall rise," Amun smiled at him, then faltered. "Have you discovered where the demon intends to travel? Is it to Asgard? Olympus?"

Atum shook his head, "It is neither. No deities or their kingdoms are at risk, rather Am-heh has sought out the Earth."

Amun's smile immediately dipped downwards, turning into a frown, "I see now. This could certainly cause concern given Prince Thor's involvement with that mortal woman."

"Oh yes," Atum laughed, amused by the idea. "They are naturally very ashamed of it and rightfully so. Gods loving mortals," he snorted. "It is the object of fantasy and that alone."

"Do you believe that he loves the mortal?"

"I believe he is foolish enough to attempt to intervene in our affairs in the name of lust. We can only hope that Odin shall keep the little Prince at bay while I attend to Am-heh. His brother, however, I do worry about."

"He is already in conflict with Thanos," Amun replied dismissively. "Loki shall not cause you any problems."

"And can you be certain of this?" Atum demanded, frowning at the King of the Gods. "He has meddled in mortal affairs just like his brother. If one of them goes, the other shall follow soon after. You know this as well as I do. Do you not remember their incident with the elves? It was pure luck that Horus and Anat were there on that very same day and could lend them the protection they needed."

Amun shrugged, reaching for a bowl that sat on the small table. "They were boys, Atum. They are men now, beyond those silly desires and wiser than you might think. They shall not pose us any serious concern. I am as certain as -"

"As the sun shall rise, yes, I know," Atum snapped, finishing for his old friend.

Amun smiled, plucking a grape from its vine where it rested in the wooden bowl. He popped it into his mouth, mulling over his thoughts, and then looked back up at the night sky. He gestured towards the stars, "Nut has truly outdone herself tonight, hasn't she, friend?"


End file.
